Community Engagement (CE)

Transcription

1 Community Engagement (CE) UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research & Social Responsibility in Higher Education Dr Rajesh Tandon Rural Community Engagement, Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan & Social Responsibility NCRI, Hyderabad March 6, 2017

2 About UNESCO Chair Created in 2012, in the aftermath of the 2 nd UNESCO Conference on Higher Education (2009) Supported North-South-South and South- South partnerships, building and enhancing knowledge democracy Worked towards strengthening engagement between communities, civil society & academia Advocated mainstreaming of Community University Engagement in academic curriculum. Promoted the discourse on Social Responsibility in Higher Education

3 Programs & Initiatives Research & knowledge production Policy advocacy Training & capacity enhancement

4 Engaging NSS students with the community Need to move beyond the charitable mode of service Invest in service-learning Modify present engagements to bring about mutual benefits Opportunity to emerge as good citizens, and not merely a good workforce Realize & fulfill social responsibilities

5 NSS Objectives: Clear call for CE Identify the needs and problems of the community; involve them in problem solving process Develop a sense of social/civic responsibility Utilize knowledge for finding practical solutions to individual/community problems Gain skills in mobilizing community participation

6 UGC Scheme on CFSRCE Highlights Establishment of Centre for Fostering Social Responsibility & Community Engagement (CFSRCE) Aims to promote community university partnerships Broad objectives Providing roadmap for CE plans of the university Promoting practical learning among students Creation of platform for sharing innovative practices Salient features Applicable to all NAAC accredited central universities Focus on certain key essentials of engagement; ranges from joint research to devising new courses etc.

7 Tenets for successful CE Curriculum CE mainstreamed in the core academic mission; provision of credit Locally relevant curriculum; Capacity building in CBPR Partnerships Mutually beneficial partnerships with CBOs, local institutions Learning in partnership with communities Flexibility & Innovation Simultaneous focus on knowledge, awareness & skills Research: Knowledge in everyday life

8 Action points for NSS Co-ordinators Designing Programs Match student s abilities & community needs Design mutually beneficial activities Resource Mobilization Leverage internal resources: Use teaching expertise of faculties to enhance knowledge and skills of students Mobilize external resources: governmental schemes, welfare agencies, etc.

9 Action points for NSS Co-ordinators Building partnerships Channelize suitable institutional partnerships Figure out ways in which partner institutions can hold stake in academic discourse (funding, involving practitioners as teachers, block placements, etc.) Ensuring sustainability Having communities work hand-in-hand with the students Ensuring research reports feeds into academic curriculum for next batch of students

10 Examples of CE Service Learning NSS students of MM College, Haryana (in association with PRIA) engaged in a survey to understand births/deaths registrations in Fatehabad Municipal Council Rural Tech Action Group (RUTAG) at IIT-G provides R&D solutions to upgrade rural infrastructure; done by engaging local artisans and communities

11 Examples of CE Social Innovation Community radio station RadioActive launched by students of Jain university, Karnataka; medium for community groups to participate, discuss and find solutions to problems In collaboration with CBOs, students of Ambedkar University, Delhi engaged in documenting oral rural histories, for integrating community knowledge with academic knowledge

12 Examples of CE Co-conduction of research Village adoption programs undertaken at University of Pune include GIS mapping of resources, soil/water testing, soft skills development, etc. by students from respective disciplines. BPSMV tap indigenous knowledge of rural women in herbs/medicines (as part of field work under course on folk medicine); document it as academic literature

13 Examples of CE Knowledge sharing Students at NBU, West Bengal engage with local, rural communities for knowledge exchange and dissemination of best practices in the agricultural sector Students from many law schools conduct legal aid clinics in villages, for raising legal awareness among village communities, under faculty supervision

14 NSS & CE: A win-win situation! For NSS Volunteer Enhancement of personal skill sets: communication, leadership, inter-personal relations etc. Practical hand-on experience Opportunity to serve while learning Addition to Employment quotient For the community Opportunity to participate in problem solving Sense of ownership, empowerment Capacity enhancement Altering social inequities